We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maura Whalen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Maura , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Starting my business was a risk! I credit a dear friend who advised me to not think but just do it and start small. Had I known what I know now, I’m not sure I would have taken the plunge but sometimes one just has to jump and find her wings on the way down (or, in my case “OUT”). The gardening metaphors for my floral business are endless but truly resonate. From germination 9 years ago, I budded, crept, faltered and am now blooming.

Maura , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Maura Whalen, founder and lead designer of CASABLANCA FLORAL, a floral design company specializing in personal florals for businesses and homes in Seattle, WA and its surrounding communities.

Mine is pretty much the classic Mom story – i.e., I was out of the workforce for 10 years focused on raising my kids before starting Casablanca. I had worked in a high-end floral shop during graduate school and always said such was my most favorite job but pursued other things believing that if I had my own shop, I wouldn’t make enough money nor would I be contributing to the world. I have been an avid gardener my entire adult life and must thank my Mother and Italian Grandmother (whose name was “Flora” for my love of beauty and the natural world). I’m thrilled to say that I am profitable and definitely now feel as though I’m contributing as I believe bringing beauty to people is one of the most important things we can do.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

There is no instant “winner takes all” here. If I possessed the artistic skills and business know-how that I now have, I’m sure I would still have many customers that I long ago lost. Being a personal business that truly cares and feeds for its customers is a bonafide challenge when you’re a small, nearly one-woman show as I am simply because I am always strapped for time. Then again, it is likely because of my past goofs that I have grown as powerfully as I have. We all learn from our mistakes and I have certainly learned from mine. I’m proud to say that it has been some time since I’ve lost a customer due to dissatisfaction. I am just now at the point where I can devote focused time to customer retention and do so the old-fashioned way – checking in on them and making sure that they are pleased with Casablanca’s creations and service. I’m just about to institute a hand-written follow-up/ thank you for your business card which I’ve wanted to implement for years but have not had the bandwidth to do so. Come fall, this CRM task will be handed off to one of my team members as it’s something she can easily do from home with her new baby.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One of my favorite stories comes from very early in my business. I was hired to create a piece for a woman who threw a large Halloween party annually in her wealthy, gated community. I was ecstatic about this opportunity to showcase my work and spent lots of time sourcing the spookiest blooms and textural elements along with what I thought was the perfect vase for this task. When I arrived to personally deliver, I quickly realized that I had failed as the size/scale of my piece was completely wrong. My arrangement – although large in my own home – was minuscule in its setting: a gargantuan house and over the top decorations. My lesson: if I can’t actually see the environs where my arrangement would be, I needed a good understanding before sourcing, creating and delivering.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.casablancafloral.com
• Instagram: @casablancafloralseattle
• Other: 206.330.4904

Image Credits
Alessandra Brescia Maura Whalen